Air Filters - Universal Thread

[Aneesh@4GHz]

my R15 V1 had been rolled about 4000+km. which would be the best air filter option for my bike?

Get the stock filter from Authorized Yamaha Spares.

[zakisback]

air filter for the YZF R15

my R15 V1 had been rolled about 4000+km. which would be the best air filter option for my bike?

[Honda_CBF]

^^ Will try out different foam filters next time for perfect replacement.
Thanks..

[Pinaki]

It seems that I should go for foam filter (will try finding for stunner) as i do ride in very dusty conditions.. Very much comparable to the off road rallys. Visibility gets restricted to 15-20 meters sometimes ... But now I wanted to know will it cause lower Mileage & power due to its restrictive nature??

In such off-road conditions you'll surely benefit from oiled-foam .
About reduction of power - It may , but I doubt you'll notice it much other than a quietness of the air-intake noise ( k&N users construe that as reduced power ) . You only have to ensure that the filter fits well ( doesn't leak unfiltered air into the engine in any way ) and is of sufficient size ( filtering surface area ) to pass enough air to keep your engine happy . About the effect on mileage - i'm not sure .. but unlikely to affect much change .

[Pinaki]

Well what you mean by traditional depends from when you started counting things as traditions (recognizing practices as common in the society around you) , so while your scooter is pretty much when such things started for you .. she's about half my age .. so . Never mind .. I was joking anyway .

[Honda_CBF]

^^ wow, Thanks for letting me know all those facts.
I thought its traditional because my 21yrs old scoot uses a foam filter.
It seems that I should go for foam filter (will try finding for stunner) as i do ride in very dusty conditions.. Very much comparable to the off road rallys. Visibility gets restricted to 15-20 meters sometimes
But now I wanted to know will it cause lower Mileage & power due to its restrictive nature??

[Pinaki]

Foam filters are not thaaat traditional , they are a somewhat recent dirt-bike invention . Traditional filters were of the oil-bath type with liquid oil splashing around in them . Foam filters are not about saving cost only ...
They have specific advantages and disadvantages . They are fairly restrictive compared to the other types available today . Specially the dual layer type . They however provide the best filtration quality possible in the true reusables in really dusty dirty conditions and under prolonged wet operation without any user attention . They are the only air-filter type that works ok even when it's wet with water, that I know of . They also the type with the highest dirt-load capacity ... still working at acceptable level when very dirty & uncared for . Some tests (read online , didn't test myself) put them at better filtration quality than the K&N .Yes ,even cheaper to buy new every time .. last I got a original (from ASS) bajaj one for my friend's bike for 50 Rs new sealed pack . That'll last him 5000 kms at least without any service . At this price I'd not even go thru the trouble of cleaning/re-oiling to reuse them .
If you can find a suitable one to fit for your bike .. and the engine is not specially demanding of super high air-flow ... an oiled foam filter would be an capital investment for you IMHO .
And hey ... with foam .... you could easily make a perfectly good improvised one for your bike (DIY kits available)... I love DIY's . Dirt bikers do that all the time .
Disposable paper filters would become the logical choice for me once they start selling it much cheaper than reusable foam , i.e less than 20 Rs maybe ?
Is cotton mesh(K&N) or paper that expensive material or the manufacturing so complicated that they charge such a premium price for it vs foam ? Now come on Herohonda/Honda ... how expensive can that piece of paper be ??!!
@ Honda_cbr - your viscous filter is also a paper filter (with some sticky oil in it) . It is said to filter better than dry paper filters but lasts less than it in use .

[Honda_CBF]

^^Exactly, they won't effect AFR much.
.
My query:
my bike's equipped with viscous airfilter.. It costs Rs.200 something and needs change every 10k kms..
Should I go for the traditional foam filter (for saving money)? I can do the cleaning myself, no problem.
And what's the cost of foam filter? I think its cheaper, right?

[Pinaki]

No no - K&N says that both their and Air-filter covers will have very little restriction from their uncovered filters and so very little effect on the AFR ratio . Check it .

[Honda_CBF]

^^ but that's for protection of air filter ( & may be engine) from lots of dust... Not for maintaining AFR.

[Pinaki]

Well H_cbf , it's not even my idea , it is K&N's own idea . They do recommend such a sock thingy for operation of their filters in dusty environments like ours and says it doesn't add any significant restriction to it . " - The K&N PreCharger is a specially designed filter wrap made to extend the service interval of your K&N Filter when used in very dusty conditions......The PreCharger will stop small dirt particles; yet add little restriction to the airflow of the filter. ..."
Read about it here - K&N Air Filter Wraps

[Honda_CBF]

^^ hey, hey, guys.. Reducing air flow of FF airfilter is the worst way of maintaining AFR, (it won't be able to provide sound & performance both) Period.
Its like using choked air filter to counter lean tuned carb..

[Aneesh@4GHz]

what's the point on reducing air flow of a free flow air filter?? Better use the stock one.. Right?

If you are thaaat desperate , I have a better idea . Very very sparingly motor-oil or even use dry , an old thin nylon stocking , cut off excess , slip over the K&N .. tie at the hose neck . Now howzzaat ??!! hey aneesh , this may even work well !!

Hehe,Nice idea bro. No,I am not going to use K&N anymore,I understood that stock is better than after markets for indian bikes,Most of the K&N users are using it for producing sound not for a free air flow,so if this works,many can use K&N without upjetting only for sound. I just wanted no that.

[Pinaki]

Guys a bad idea from me,can we put fevicol(Glue used to stick paper) on a portion of K&N Filters to reduce air intake?So that the bike wont run lean.When they are dried,they becomes like a rubber. Hehe,just my thought!Will it work?what you guys say?

If you are thaaat desperate , I have a better idea . Very very sparingly motor-oil or even use dry , an old thin nylon stocking , cut off excess , slip over the K&N .. tie at the hose neck . Now howzzaat ??!! hey aneesh , this may even work well !!

what's the point on reducing air flow of a free flow air filter?? Better use the stock one.. Right?

Right !

[Honda_CBF]

Guys a bad idea from me,can we put fevicol(Glue used to stick paper) on a portion of K&N Filters to reduce air intake?So that the bike wont run lean.When they are dried,they becomes like a rubber. Hehe,just my thought!Will it work?what you guys say?

what's the point on reducing air flow of a free flow air filter?? Better use the stock one.. Right?